Blue Monday: A Frieda Klein Novel, Book 1

Monday, the lowest point of the week. A day of dark impulses. A day to snatch a child from the streets.... The abduction of five-year-old Matthew Farraday provokes national outcry and a desperate police hunt. And when his face is splashed over the newspapers, psychotherapist Frieda Klein is left troubled: one of her patients has been relating dreams in which he has a hunger for a child. A child he can describe in perfect detail, a child the spitting image of Matthew. Detective Chief Inspector Karlsson doesn't take Frieda's concerns seriously until a link emerges with an unsolved abduction twenty years ago....

Waiting for Wednesday: A Frieda Klein Novel, Book 3

Penguin presents the unabridged, downloadable audiobook edition of Waiting for Wednesday, the thrilling third installment in the bestselling Frieda Klein series, written by Nicci French and read by the actress Beth Chalmers.Ruth Lennox, beloved mother of three, is found by her daughter in a pool of her own blood. Who would want to murder an ordinary housewife? And why? Psychotherapist Frieda Klein finds she has an unusually personal connection with DCI Karlsson's latest case.

Tuesday's Gone: A Frieda Klein Novel, Book 2

For psychotherapist Frieda Klein, the days get longer, the cases darker…. She thought she was done with the police. But once more DCI Karlsson is knocking at her door. A man’s decomposed body has been found in the flat of Michelle Doyce, a woman trapped in a world of strange mental disorder. The police don’t know who it is, how he got there, or what happened - and Michelle can’t tell them. But Karlsson hopes Frieda can get access to the truths buried beneath her confusion.

Thursday's Children: A Frieda Klein Novel, Book 4

When psychotherapist Frieda Klein left the sleepy Suffolk coastal town in which she grew up she never intended to return. Left behind were friends, family, lives, and loves but alongside them, painful memories; a past she wouldn't allow to destroy her. Then, years later, an old classmate appears in London asking Frieda to help her teenage daughter and long-buried memories resurface. Death soon follows, leaving Frieda no choice but to return home to confront her past.

Secret Smile

Secret Smile is a gripping psychological thriller from the top-ten best-selling author Nicci French. You have an affair. You finish it. You think it's over. You're dead wrong.... Miranda Cotton thinks she's put boyfriend Brendan out of her life for good. But two weeks later, he's intimately involved with her sister. Soon what began as an embarrassment becomes threatening - then even more terrifying than a girl's worst nightmare.

The Red Room

The Red Room is a terrifying and gripping psychological thriller from the Top Ten bestselling author, Nicci French. Enter the Red Room - where nightmares become reality. He almost took your life. Now his is in your hands… After psychologist Kit Quinn is brutally attacked by a prisoner, she is determined to get straight back to work. When the police want her help in linking the man who attacked her to a series of murders, she refuses to simply accept the obvious.

Pretty Girls

The compelling new standalone novel from the Sunday Times number-one best-selling author of Unseen and Cop Town. With a missing girl in the news, Claire Scott can’t help but be reminded of her sister, who disappeared 20 years ago in a mystery that was never solved. But when Claire begins to learn the truth about her sister, nothing will ever be the same.

Watching You

Marnie Logan often feels like she's being watched. Nothing she can quite put her finger on - a whisper of breath on the back of her neck, or a shadow in the corner of her eye - and now her life is frozen. Her husband Daniel has been missing for more than a year. Depressed and increasingly desperate, she seeks the help of clinical psychologist Joe O'Loughlin. Joe is concerned by Marnie's reluctance to talk about the past, but then she discovers a book packed with pictures, interviews with friends, former teachers, old flames and workmates Daniel was preparing for her birthday.

Say You're Sorry

When Piper and her friend Tash disappeared, there was a huge police search, but they were never found. Now Tash, reaching breaking point at the abuse their captor has inflicted on them, has escaped, promising to come back for Piper. Clinical psychologist Joe O'Loughlin and his stalwart companion, ex-cop Vincent Ruiz, force the police to re-open the case after Joe is called in to assess the possible killer of a couple in their own home and finds a connection to the missing girls.

Finders Keepers

1978: Meet Morris Bellamy ,the man who robs the safe of America's most famous reclusive writer, John Rothstein. But it isn't just the money he is interested in. Morrie is obsessed by the author's notebooks and is prepared to kill the author for them. 2009: Meet young Pete Saubers, whose father was knocked down by an out-of-control Mercedes in a job line-up. When he discovers a buried trunk of money and notebooks of a famous writer, he has the means to rescue his family from poverty.

The Silkworm: Cormoran Strike, Book 2

When novelist Owen Quine goes missing, his wife calls in private detective Cormoran Strike. At first, she just thinks he has gone off by himself for a few days - as he has done before - and she wants Strike to find him and bring him home. But as Strike investigates, it becomes clear that there is more to Quine's disappearance than his wife realises. The novelist has just completed a manuscript featuring poisonous pen-portraits of almost everyone he knows. If the novel were published it would ruin lives - so there are a lot of people who might want to silence him.

The Suspect

Joseph O'Loughlin appears to have the perfect life: a beautiful wife, a loving daughter, and a successful career as a clinical psychologist. But nothing can be taken for granted. Even the most flawless existence is only one loose thread away from unravelling. All it takes is a murdered girl, a troubled young patient - and the biggest lie of his life.

Beneath the Skin

Beneath the Skin is a gripping psychological thriller by the Top Ten bestselling author, Nicci French. Zoe, Jennifer and Nadia are three women with nothing in common. Except for the man who wants to kill them. He sends them terrifying letters, full of the intimate details of their lives - and promises that he will bring those lives to a violent, horrible end.

The Cuckoo's Calling: Cormoran Strike, Book 1

When a troubled model falls to her death from a snow-covered Mayfair balcony, it is assumed that she has committed suicide. However, her brother has his doubts, and calls in private investigator Cormoran Strike to look into the case.Strike is a war veteran - wounded both physically and psychologically - and his life is in disarray. The case gives him a financial lifeline, but it comes at a personal cost: the more he delves into the young model's complex world, the darker things get - and the closer he gets to terrible danger...

Shatter

A naked woman is perched on the edge of Clifton Suspension Bridge weeping into a mobile phone. Clinical psychologist Joseph O'Loughlin is only feet away, desperately trying to talk her down. She whispers, 'you don't understand,' and jumps. Later, Joe has a visitor - the woman's teenage daughter, a runaway from boarding school. She refuses to believe that her mother would have jumped off the bridge - not only would she not commit suicide, she is terrified of heights.

Life or Death

Why would a man escape from prison the day before he's due to be released? Audie Palmer has spent a decade in prison for an armed robbery in which four people died, including two of the gang. Seven million dollars has never been recovered and everybody believes that Audie knows where the money is. For 10 years he has been beaten, stabbed, throttled and threatened almost daily by prison guards, inmates and criminal gangs, who all want to answer this same question, but suddenly Audie vanishes, the day before he's due to be released.

The Memory Game

When a skeleton is unearthed in the Martellos' garden, Jane Martello is shocked to learn it's that of her childhood friend Natalie, who went missing 25 years ago. Encouraged by a therapist to recover lost memories, Jane hopes to find out what really took place when she was a child - and what happened to Natalie. But in learning the truth about her and Natalie's past, is Jane putting her own future at terrible risk?

Killing Me Softly

Killing Me Softly, by the acclaimed and best-selling author Nicci French, is a terrifying journey into the heart of obsession. You have everything. But you give it up for an affair. You're in passionate love. And grave danger.... Alice Loudon couldn't resist abandoning her old, safe life for a wild affair. And in Adam Tallis, a rugged mountaineer with a murky past, she finds a man who can teach her things about herself that she never even suspected. But sexual obsession has its dark side - and so does Adam.

The Wreckage

In London, ex-cop Vincent Ruiz rescues a young woman from a violent boyfriend but wakes next morning to find that he’s been set up and robbed. As he tracks down the thieves, he discovers the boyfriend’s tortured body and learns that powerful men are looking for the girl. What did Holly Knight steal that is so important to them?

The Girl on the Train

Rachel catches the same commuter train every morning. She knows it will wait at the same signal each time, overlooking a row of back gardens. She's even started to feel like she knows the people who live in one of the houses. 'Jess and Jason', she calls them. Their life - as she sees it - is perfect. If only Rachel could be that happy. And then she sees something shocking. It's only a minute until the train moves on, but it's enough. Now everything's changed.

Disclaimer

What if you realized the book you were reading was all about you? Disclaimer stealthily steals your attention and by the end holds you prisoner - a searing story that resonates long after the final page. When an intriguing novel appears on Catherine’s bedside table, she curls up in bed and begins to read. But as she turns the pages, she is sickened to realize the story will reveal her darkest secret.

Hunted

Get hooked on Heck: the maverick detective who knows no boundaries. A grisly whodunit you won't be able to put down, perfect for fans of Stuart MacBride and TV series Luther. Heck needs to watch his back. Because someone's watching him... Across the south of England, a series of bizarre but fatal accidents are taking place. So when a local businessman survives a near-drowning but is found burnt alive in his car just weeks later, DS Mark 'Heck' Heckenburg is brought in to investigate.

Only Time Will Tell: Clifton Chronicles, Book 1

The Clifton Chronicles is Jeffrey Archer’s most ambitious work in four decades as an international best-selling author. The epic tale of Harry Clifton’s life begins in 1920, with the chilling words, ‘I was told that my father was killed in the war’. But it will be another twenty years before Harry discovers how his father really died, which will only lead him to question: who was his father?

Memory Man

Amos Decker is a former professional football player whose career was ended by a terrible hit. Now a police detective, Amos is still haunted by a side effect from the accident he can never forget. One night Decker comes home from a stakeout to find his wife, young daughter, and brother-in-law horrifically murdered. Obviously scarred and nearly broken, Decker has to use his skills as a detective and his unusual brain capacity to try to catch the monster who killed his family.

The Slaughter Man

On New Year’s Day, a wealthy family is found slaughtered inside their exclusive gated community in north London, their youngest child stolen away. The murder weapon is a gun for stunning cattle, leading Detective Max Wolfe to a dusty corner of Scotland Yard’s Black Museum devoted to a killer who thirty years ago was known as the Slaughter Man. But the Slaughter Man is now old and dying. Can he really be back in the game?

Publisher's Summary

The unabridged, downloadable audiobook edition of Blue Monday, the first in a fantastic new series from the masters of psychological thrillers, Nicci French. Read by the actress Beth Chalmers.

Monday, the lowest point of the week. A day of dark impulses. A day to snatch a child from the streets...

The abduction of five-year-old Matthew Farraday provokes national outcry and a desperate police hunt. And when his face is splashed over the newspapers, psychotherapist Frieda Klein is left troubled: one of her patients has been relating dreams in which he has a hunger for a child. A child he can describe in perfect detail, a child the spitting image of Matthew.

Detective Chief Inspector Karlsson doesn't take Frieda's concerns seriously until a link emerges with an unsolved abduction twenty years ago and he summons Frieda to interview the victim's sister, hoping she can stir hidden memories. Before long, Frieda is at the centre of the race to track the kidnapper. But her race isn't physical. She must chase down the darkest paths of a psychopath's mind to find the answers to Matthew Farraday's whereabouts. And sometimes the mind is the deadliest place to lose yourself.

The best audiobook I've listened to in a long time. The storyline has twists and turns and depth to it. We are given the background scenery in brief, not describing it at length so as to be able to make the book bigger as alot of authors seem to do. Fast moving. Strong characters.

Beth Chalmers is a brilliant narrator. Each character is unique. I'm not so much a fan of women narrators as they are either dry or overdo it. Beth is spot on and carries us smoothly and does credit to this already thrilling story.

Make sure you follow this one up with Tuesdays Gone. I'm half way through it and it's turning out to be just as good.

I have enjoyed a number of these authors' books, but was sadly disappointed by this first book in a planned new series. The story meanders into unnecessary by-ways; depends on unbelievable co-incidences and pseudo psychology masquerading as science; and the senior detective on the case is a boor using the F-word all the time, which I'm sure in the real-world would be counter-productive.
The reader does a good job, but I won't be following this series.

10 of 10 people found this review helpful

Louise

DERBY, United Kingdom

11/27/13

Overall

Performance

Story

"Superb listen. Totally hooked."

What made the experience of listening to Blue Monday the most enjoyable?

The narration is clear and engaging. Expertly done.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Blue Monday?

Gripped by the ending.

What about Beth Chalmers’s performance did you like?

Excellent narration. Just brilliant.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Totally addicted.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Susan

Guidlford, United Kingdom

8/10/13

Overall

Performance

Story

"Welcome first outing for a new series"

The double act writing as Nicci French are new to me and certainly two heads work well with this new series. A great read by Beth Chalmers, which given the mixture of men, women and children could have been a disaster. I enjoyed the contrast between the quietly self sufficient Dr Freda Klein and the police suffering huge pressure to resolve the case. Each had entirely different objectives during the book and it all came together at the end. The plot had a twist at the end which I should have seen coming but didn't. In many books the author seems to spend the last few pages pulling together all the loose ends, sometimes with no real credibility but given the number of strands running through the story Nicci French resolved what needed to be resolved but left me with quite a bit to think about afterwards.

Hopefully some of the main characters will turn up in future books and we can see how life is treating them over the next few years.

I look forward to the next Freda Klein with anticipation.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Amazon Customer

United Kingdom

6/30/13

Overall

Performance

Story

"I really, really tried"

I've tried to listen to this book now for almost 18 months. I've gone back to it again and again thinking, maybe it was me? I've managed a few hours but nothing has happened to keep my interest. I have always loved the duo's writing in the past, but I must admit I've found the last few I've listened too harder and harder going. There was nothing that grabbed me that made me want to carry on, lots of inconsequential stuff that seemed to lead nowhere. Maybe if I'd kept going it might have all started to make sense, but life is too short - sorry!

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Eyeandears

Colchester, United Kingdom

6/22/14

Overall

Performance

Story

"Gripping from start to finish"

What did you like most about Blue Monday?

The first few chapters left me thinking where are they taking this story, but even the additional red herring characters were compelling and it made me want to keeping listening. I was chilled by the first person reasonings of little Matthew and thought that like all the other characters this was well observed. The authors pulled all the pieces together in an ending that I didn't expect, which was great for me as I often guess the plot half way through the read.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Karlsson. (PC GRUMPY) the relationship between Klein and the detective. I hope he is in the next book

Which character – as performed by Beth Chalmers – was your favourite?

All of them I was lost in the performance of her male female and younger characters ...10/10

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

ANDRE

LLANDRINDOD WELLS, United Kingdom

1/20/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"poor"

If this book wasn’t for you, who do you think might enjoy it more?

poor book slow and hard to make out whats going on and why and when just went on and on to slow

Would you ever listen to anything by Nicci French again?

no

How did the narrator detract from the book?

poor

You didn’t love this book--but did it have any redeeming qualities?

started off OK

Any additional comments?

no

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

E. FOSTER

Zimbabwe

12/13/14

Overall

Performance

Story

"Loved the ending!"

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, its a good read and kept me listening to the very end.

What did you like best about this story?

It had twists, excitement and disappointments

Which scene did you most enjoy?

I was intrigued by the scene when the Psycho therapist gets the missing girl's sister to go back to the scene in her mind and then to describe a face she sees to the computerised photofit expert.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No - the whole point of listening to books is to have my entertainment for a week! I love to get home from work and sit with a coffee and rusk and listen to my audible book.

Any additional comments?

Audible downloadable books has made such a change to my life - I live in Zimbabwe where we cannot get good books nor do we have good libraries, so being able to download books has been fantastic for me!

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Sean

10/31/14

Overall

Performance

Story

"Incredible - in the true meaning of the word..."

Would you try another book written by Nicci French or narrated by Beth Chalmers?

This novel is all the more troubling because one or two of the characters have some modest potential, not least of whom is Frieda herself - but for all her alleged training she behaves like an impulsive teenager in spasmodic passages interspersed with domestic drudgery. If in doubt, have a character appear through the ceiling above.

Has Blue Monday put you off other books in this genre?

Very little for the human spirit in this one.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Amazon Customer

UK

9/26/14

Overall

Performance

Story

"Great listen"

Would you consider the audio edition of Blue Monday to be better than the print version?

Loved the narrator - made the whole story come alive.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I liked Frieda, the main character. Although she could be irritating at times the narrator's voice made me forgive her limitations.

Which character – as performed by Beth Chalmers – was your favourite?

The small boy Matthew. Very disconcerting at times listening to his torment.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I was on the edge of my seat wondering if the child would be found

Any additional comments?

Totally did not expect the twist!

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Kay

Bristol, United Kingdom

6/14/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"good book but ridiculous plot"

this is a good book and I enjoyed listening to it, the narrator is a little grating but does a good job. The plot however is ridiculous. I have worked as a police officer [retired now] and the thought of anyone latching on to such a half baked theory is totally laughable. I am a keen reader of Nicci French and will stick with the series in the hope that this improves.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

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